New allergy-related changes at all McDonald’s locations in Canada

Last November, McDonald’s Canada had introduced the SKOR McFlurry in two specific Ontario restaurants as a pilot project, along with a new allergy notice.

McDonald’s has announced that they will now introduce the SKOR McFlurry and the new allergy notice nationally on January 17, 2017. For more information, please read the McDonald’s launch announcement at the bottom of this page.

What do these changes mean?

There are two significant changes that will impact customers with food allergies:

• The SKOR pieces, which contain almonds, will not be in a contained package like other nut products currently available in McDonald’s.
• The new allergy notice indicates that all products in the restaurant may contain or have come in contact with any allergen (please see the McDonald’s notice at the bottom of this page).

If you are dining at McDonald’s, speak to the manager about your allergies and ask the same questions you would ask at any other restaurant when ordering food (e.g., about the ingredients and the possible risk of cross-contamination).

What you can do?

We have voiced our concerns to McDonald’s about the new allergy statement as it significantly restricts options for consumers with any food allergy and what impact this may have on their current allergy management policies. We will continue to reach out to McDonald’s on this important issue and will update you as we learn more.

We encourage you to also reach out to McDonald’s to let them know what this means to you and your family. Contact them by phone at 1-888-424-4622, fill out the contact form on mcdonalds.ca, or post about it on their social media.

**Update as of January 23rd: Click here to read our open letter to McDonald’s and to sign our online petition.

The statement below is from McDonald’s and can also be found on mcdonalds.ca:

As a guest driven company, McDonald’s Canada is constantly evolving our menu and introducing new items and new ingredients. We are making a significant change to our menu and our operational procedures as it relates to allergens.

We are now serving products using nuts that are not individually packaged. The new SKOR McFlurry (available Jan 17, 2017) is the first product that will contain non-packaged peanuts or tree nuts. As a result, all products available at our restaurants may contain or come into contact with peanuts, tree nuts or other allergens. That means the possibility exists for cross-contact between nuts and other menu items.

We have a long history of being sensitive to the needs of our guests with food allergies and this time will be no different, which is why we are communicating this important information in restaurant, at the drive-thru, on our website and through our mobile app. For full information on allergens and other ingredients, guests can visit our website at www.mcdonalds.ca and/or our mobile app.  In addition, if guests have any other questions they can always call McDonald’s Guest Contact Centre at 1-888-424-4622.